Life In Space, In More Than 12,000 Photos

CNET is one of many sources carrying the stunning time-lapse photography of astronaut Alexander Gerst. Gerst assembled into a 6-minute movie 12,500 still images taken by cameras set up to document things like ISS docking procedures, but which ended up capturing quite a bit more: Images of auroras abound in the video below, as do spellbinding shots of humming cities at night, storms and flashes of lightning, all captured as the space station sailed overhead, traveling as fast as 17,000 miles per hour. Also keep an eye out for the eye of a tropical storm, a few fascinating docking and detachment operations with visiting spacecraft, as well as a nice token outward-looking time lapse of the Milky Way.